It's bombs away as British forces battle in Libya!

The US and European nations have targeted Muammar Gaddafi's forces with airstrikes and dozens of cruise missiles in an allied assault aimed at enforcing a no-fly zone. 

British forces are in action over Libya as part of international efforts to prevent Gaddafi from attacking his own people, Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday:

"Tonight, British forces are in action over Libya," he confirmed.

"We have all seen the appalling brutality that Colonel Gaddafi has meted out against his own people. And far from introducing the cease-fire he spoke about, he has actually stepped up the attacks." Cameron told press and public.

The British public should now more than ever be aware that there are "dangers and uncertainties" ahead as the country takes a lead role in efforts to protect civilians from the Libyan regime. The comments come as reports emerge of the initial reaction to sustained attacks by French, American and British forces last night.

State television said 48 people had died in the strikes launched to uphold the UN-mandated no-fly zone in support of rebels who have seen early gains reversed by the regime's superior air power and weaponry. After a rolling start, with French aircraft firing the first shots, this operation to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1973 is unfolding in a familiar way.

The initial aim was to degrade and destroy Libya's integrated air defence system, largely centred in the western part of the country around Tripoli. Land attack cruise missiles were fired from US warships and submarines out in the Mediterranean. A British Trafalgar class submarine was involved as well. 

Air forces flew from the round trip from their base in Britain to launch Storm Shadow missiles against Libyan air defences. US B-2 Stealth Bombers were also employed, dropping some 40 bombs on a Libyan airfield.

All this has put the conditions in place for the establishment of the no-fly zone. But now Cobra (Cabinet Office Briefing Room A) meets to plot the next move.

Government ministers will spend today assessing the military impact of the coalition's air and cruise missile strikes against Libya's air defence systems.

David Cameron is expected to chair a meeting of Cobra at which military chiefs will tell him and other Cabinet ministers how successful the first wave of strikes has been. Mr Cameron has the unanimous backing of the Cabinet for the military action. While there is a small but vocal group of MPs that oppose military action, but the vast majority support Mr Cameron's stance.

If the Libyan dictator continues his belligerence, and fails to withdraw his troops from towns and cities where they are attacking civilians, military action is likely to be stepped up.

I beg the question, should we really be enforcing a no-fly zone on this Country?

Lessons from the past show that no-fly zones can last years - as we saw in Iraq after the first Gulf War - and that they do not necessarily lead to the quick removal of a dictator. They can also cause unintended civilian casualties and unrest as we saw in the no-fly zone over Serbia before the removal of Slobodan Milosevic.

The Gaddafi regime has already unleashed its propaganda war by claiming that the coalition's military action has already killed 48 people and injured 150 or more.

And the longer the military action continues, the greater will be the pressure on Coalition cohesion.

-ZB

Calling all Facebook Fanatics!

MSN, the Microsoft Network, published "15 signs its time to quit Facebook" today. Are you a certified Facebook addict? There's only one way to find out...

We all know that one person; the Facebook friend who can't go for more than a few minutes without telling the world, or at least their long-suffering Facebook pals exactly what's happening in their life. Whether they're detailing the every minute of their day, showing off with posts about some random band you've never heard of, or spamming the world with pictures of themselves in the latest mirror in their home. They are the people with the least to say but the people who spend the most time saying it.

It's an affliction like any other, this kind of Facebook addiction, and if you're concerned that you may be falling prey to it, then read on because these 15 most common signs of Facebook addiction, as discovered by msn, could be you. Answering "yes, that's me" or nodding along to most of this list will perhaps mean it's time to step away from the monitor, so lets take a look...

1. Updating your status multiple times a day.

Oh hello Facebook friend who uses their status updates as though we're their "dear diary". Yes- updating so many times a day is a sign of Facebook addiction Facebookers! Unless something huge or so-hilariously-funny-it-must-be-shared happens in your life, your Facebook friends will probably be ok to get status updates from you once or maybe twice a day. But if your that one that's started sharing what's going on in your life on the hour, every hour, people might just get a bit sick of hearing from you. Want to give us a blow-by-blow account of you life?-that's what Twitter's for.

2. You get unnecessarily angry when Facebook changes. 

I may be a little guilty of this one myself. But to the hot headed technically non-functional Facebooker (hello mum!) These are the people that update their status angrily when Facebook makes a few tweaks to its format or simply can't make head-nor-tail of the new layout. Okay- not so bad, you say? Well if you find yourself discussing why on earth Facebook can make a "like" button and not a "love" button down the pub with your friends, then it's definitely time to give it a break.

3. You've ever written 'first'.

We're not sure where the idea came from that you got special kudos for commenting on something first, but just for the record - you don't. In fact, doing it repeatedly is more likely to get you booted off your friends' lists quicker than you can say, well, 'first'.

4. You've created a separate account for your baby/cat/plant.

Let's break this down - if you create an account for someone, or something, that can't actually use it, you're going to be the one updating it. This is in one word...crazy. But lets say it'll start innocently enough, a couple of status updates here and there 'in character'. Maybe a few wall posts. But then before you know it, you'll be having full blown conversations with yourself between your real and fake profiles. That's the first sign of madness these days, don't you know? Step away from the laptop loon.

5. You 'check in' everywhere.

Here's the deal with this newest craze, Facebook Places are great when you're 'checking in' places of interest, places your friends might be interested to know you've been. What it's not great for is letting people know you're at the local supermarket doing your weekly shop, cuddled on the sofa with your "princess" or at home watching TV. Frankly, no one cares. 

6. You haven't seen your "other half" recently.

Facebook was recently found to be a factor in one in five divorces, and we're sure the figures are even higher for relationship break-ups. If you've not seen your other half in a while, you might want to make sure they aren't filing the divorce papers and packing their bags while you're busy updating your statuses or uploading your newest photos of "what I did in Butlins."

7. You take pictures of yourself.

We all have that Facebooker- the one who's photos get secretly linked in in-box messages to your mates. Are you guilty of posing in front of your camera? And even worse: posting it as your profile photo? This is a sign of S.V.B - seriously vain behaviour, a condition contracted from extended use of Facebook. MSN say the best course of treatment is to go out with your mates, take your camera and enjoy flicking through the photos afterwards. Make some REAL Kodak moments.

8. You check Facebook from your Phone while on Holiday.

The sun is shining, you're on an exotic beach somewhere and you've forked out all your hard-earned cash to get away from it all. Why then, pray tell, would you be checking Facebook from your phone? This is addiction at its most devastating - not only will you miss out on chunks of your holiday with your face in your phone and risk the chance of phone shaped tan marks but when the roaming charges land on your next bill, you'll need to take out a loan to pay them off.

9. You speak to your best friend on Facebook more than in real life.

The biggest downer to Facebook, its reliance to talk to friends. Gone are the days of the phone call. Do your friendships a favour, close down the chat box and hit the pub with your mates.

10. You'd forget your friends birthdays if it wasn't for Facebook reminders.

Remember before the days of Facebook, when you wrote birthdays, important dates and events in a calendar or diary? If Facebook now runs your social life, telling you when to say 'happy birthday' and when you're going where, you could run into a pickle when you can't access it for some reason.

11. You've started friend farming.

Yes- you know who you are. Let's get one thing straight - the number of Facebook friends you have is not directly proportionate to your popularity in the real world. If you're finding yourself getting upset that you haven't had a friend request in a few hours, or that your next door neighbour-cat woman has more Facebook friends than you, it's probably time to move away from the keyboard and get some face-to-face time with your real-life friends.

12. You've taken out a loan to cover you farm ville/fish world/mafia habit.

Stop flooding our feeds with the news that you just bought a new sheep, but you've probably spent a fair bit of dough on it in the process. If your bank balance is starting to see the effects of your addiction, you might want to think about reining it in a bit, and spending your cash on something away from your computer, in the real world.

13. You've updated your status while sat on the loo.

Who does this? Really? There are some things that can just wait, and one of those is status updating. If you've ever found yourself coming up with something you just have to share with the world while sitting on the loo, put the phone down and wait until you're back at your computer. Of course, if you've taken your computer with you, well that's a whole different level of addiction you need to address...

14. You've started oversharing.

Yes the diary-logger again...Facebook isn't your agony aunt, ok? You shouldn't be broadcasting how horrible your break-up was or how much you hate certain "friend" on your profile. Nobody really wants to read it. Of course there is the other end of the scale - are you one of those couples who feel the need to express their love for each other at every possible opportunity? Save it for each other, don't broadcast your gag-worth affections to poor Facebook singletons.

15. When you're out you're wondering what's happening on Facebook.

It should go without saying that when you're with your friends, your mind should not be on Facebook. So if you're finding yourself getting a nervous tic when you've been away from Facebook for more than a few hours, you definitely need to quit. You can rest safe in the knowledge that all the news, comments and photos will be there when you get home, stalk at your hearts content.

Thank you MSN for easing my mind that I am not a Facebook addict! But for all of you addicts out there take a break from the statuses once in a while, stop clicking refresh on your feed-nothing will change! And you really should stop stalking that person now...

-ZB

Go for Gold.

The race for 2012s Olympic Games will have to wait for starters orders as London’s Olympics were beset by tech-glitches.

With only 500 days to go before the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the United States' authorized Olympic ticket seller CoSport has kicked off ticket sales. The London 2012 website was supposed to allow customers to select their event and price choices for the first time today, but was there a malfunction on the site?

With Visa being the only way to pay online for the 6.6 million tickets and with its six-week purchasing period till April 26th to apply it seems like sights were set a little too high for sports fans nationwide. Prospective buyers with Visa cards which expire before the end of August found the website could not process their orders.

The team behind 2012 stressed there was 'no glitch' with the ticketing website, which went live today, despite the fact that many logging on could not finish ordering tickets. London 2012 told press that the website and ticketing guide clearly states that in order to process your application, Visa cards must expire no earlier than August 2011. Officials say this is because while people are applying now for tickets, they will be paying for them between May 10th and June 10th and will need their card to be valid during this period.

A spokesman for the Games added: 'What Visa is now trying to do is move that date slightly so those that expire in July will also be able to apply. We had to have a cut off date when the card would be valid and we had to have an application period to apply for tickets.'

The advice to these people was that they could still actively make their choices for which games they wanted to see but would be unable to currently finish the process on the system. The spokesman added “there is nothing wrong with the site and the chance of getting a ticket is not lost provided applications are made before the deadline.”

Even time wasn’t on London 2012s side as official Olympic timekeeper Omega confirmed the countdown clock has stopped only a day after it was unveiled in Trafalgar Square.

The clock was the centrepiece of celebrations to mark 500 days to go to the 2012 Games, which it counts down in days, hours, minutes and seconds. The clock, which is 21ft high, 16ft long and weighs around four tonnes, took 10 people two days to assemble.

A statement from the company read: 'We are obviously very disappointed that the clock has suffered this technical issue. The Omega London 2012 countdown clock was developed by our experts and fully tested ahead of the launch in Trafalgar Square. We are currently looking into why this happened and expect to have the clock functioning as normal as soon as possible.'

But despite the minor faux-pars, London 2012 chairman Lord Coe promised the 'daddy of all ticketing strategies' was in place to cope with demand for the events, which range from boxing to beach volleyball.  Ticket prices vary from sport to sport and the main events such as Athletics, which will be held in the Olympic Park, have been priced as high as £725. Tickets for the gymnastics at North Greenwich range from £20-£450 and similarly with the swimming at the Olympics Park Aquatics Centre.

Prices for adults range from £20 to £2,012 depending on the sport, date and seat. Ticket sales are expected to total £500 million.

So, with time ticking away the race is on for London 2012 to prepare to host the next Olympic Games. The countdown has begun: 500 days.

-ZB

"Omigod you guys!"

It seemed like a land-slide for the West-ends musical version of 'Legally Blonde' at this years annual Laurence Olivier Awards. Legally Blondes leading lady (and star of screen hits such as 'Gavin and Stacey' and '2 Pints of Lager and a packet of crisps') Sheridan Smith, has been crowned the queen of the West End after winning best musical actress at the Laurence Olivier Awards in London.

Super-star Smith won the award for her role in the show, based on the 2001 ultimate chick-flick and co-star Jill Halfpenny also won best supporting role in a musical. Frothy, film-inspired funfest Legally Blonde: The Musical was named best new musical at the Britain's equivalent of Broadway's Tonys on Sunday.

The story of the bright and bubbly California girl, Elle Woods, burst onto the British stage January of 2010 and won over the rainy streets of London like a burst of sunshine. 

Based on the 2001 Reese Witherspoon movie and novel by Amanda Brown West-ends production of Legally Blondes: The Musical followed the lukewarm reviewed Broadway version. Despite Laura-Bell Bundy's outstanding performance, Broadway's production closed in October 2008 after 595 performances. But London's often curmudgeonly critics greeted the new show with open arms. 

Leading Blonde Sheridan Smith told her audience:

"It's credit crunch, terrible weather, and all you want to do is have two and a half hours of escapism," Smith reaffirmed its appeal was obvious.

In what has been dubbed an emotional acceptance speech, Sheridan Smith thanked Legally Blonde's US creators for letting a "chav play an American rich girl".

Keep your eyes out for star of stage and screen, Sheridan Smith, as she has been hotly tipped to star in an up-and-coming on stage performance of smash hit film of 20-something spinster Bridget Jones. 

The National Theatre's revival of playwright Terence Rattigan's After the Dance also won four awards. After the Dance, a play about 1920s "pretty young things" sinking into drink and despair, winnings included best revival, costume design, best supporting actor for Adrian Scarborough, and best actress for Nancy Carroll. 

These two productions were the biggest winners at the most prestigious ceremony in the London theatre calendar.

Not such good news was afforded to Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom sequel Love Never Dies which went home empty-handed despite seven nominations.

The sequel to monster hit Phantom of the Opera had more nominations than any other show, but won nothing. The musical opened a year ago to mixed reviews, and recently announced a series of cast changes as it fights to match Phantom's success.

At the ceremony's climax, legend; Sondheim, received a special prize in recognition of his contribution to theatre. Sir Cameron Mackintosh described the composer and lyricist as a "true legend", paying tribute to his "unique theatrical muscle".

It seems West-end stars really do have something to make a song and dance about this week. Congratulations!

-ZB

Meltdown to follow Japan's quake.

Japan- the world’s third largest economy is fighting to avert a meltdown post the 8.9 earthquake that has affected many, including its 3 earthquake-crippled nuclear reactors. The massive quake and tsunami, which may have killed more than 10,000 people has been described as the nation's biggest crisis since World War Two.

The massive earthquake that struck North East Japan, Friday, March 11^th is said to be the single most devastating force to have hit Japan since World War Two. Japan's biggest earthquake on record on Friday knocked out the back-up cooling systems at Fukushima, north of Tokyo, causing a build-up of heat and pressure. An explosion hit the plant on Saturday.

Grim-faced Prime Minister Naoto Kan told press: "The earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear incident have been the biggest crisis Japan has encountered in the 65 years since the end of World War II, we're under scrutiny on whether we, the Japanese people, can overcome this crisis."

In relation to the nuclear reactors Kan added: "Radiation has been released in the air, but there are no reports that a large amount was released."

During his press release officials worked desperately to stop fuel rods in the damaged reactors from overheating, which could result in the container that houses the core melting, or at worst exploding, releasing radioactive material into the wind.

Many have been comparing the Japan adversity to 1986 nuclear disaster Chernobyl.  Malcolm Crick, Secretary of the U.N. Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, told Reuters: "It won't be anything like Chernobyl. There the reactor was operating at full power when it exploded and it had no containment."

As a precaution, around 140,000 people have been evacuated from the area around Fukushima. Authorities have set up a 20km exclusion zone around the Fukushima Daiichi plant and a 10km zone around another nuclear facility close by. TEPCO announced that radiation levels around the Fukushima Daiichi plant had risen above the safety limit but that it did not mean an "immediate threat" to human health.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that the winds in the area would shift from the south to a westerly on this evening, blowing from Fukushima toward the Pacific Ocean. The wind could affect residents north of the facility, an official at Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

But for now our thoughts and prayers remain with the Japanese citizens, those lost, those loved, those languished.

-ZB